Electronic counting device

ABSTRACT

Electronic counting device ( 11 ) of shots fired by a firearm, which comprises an impulse sensor ( 12 ) that is electrically connected to a signal processor ( 13 ), which in turn is electrically connected to a data storage unit ( 14 ).

OBJECT

This invention refers to an electronic counting device of shots fired byan automatic or semiautomatic firearm.

STATE OF THE ART

U.S. patent publication number U.S. Pat. No. 7,143,644 refers to anelectronic shot counter mounted on a firearm which detects an impulse inthe firearm due to firing.

The electronic counter comprises an impulse sensor, a signal processorand a memory. The impulse sensor transfers the electric signalsresulting from a shot to the processor.

The processor receives the first signal and opens a reception timewindow; during that time window it receives a second time signal,records that a shot has occurred and stores that information in thememory.

One drawback of the aforesaid electronic counter is the fact that a timewindow is opened whenever a signal is received from the impulse sensorwith a view to a subsequent signal to count a shot.

If the signal received by the processor from the impulse sensor has notresulted from a shot, what happens is that electric power is consumed toopen a time window while waiting for a subsequent signal. Thisunnecessary consumption shortens the lifetime of an electric batterythat supplies electric power to the electronic shot counter.

SUMMARY

This invention seeks to solve one or more of the drawbacks explainedabove by means of an electronic shot counting device mounted on afirearm, as claimed in the claims.

One object of an embodiment of the electronic shot counting device is tomake a partial count of the number of shots fired with the cartridgesstored in a cartridge storage unit, as well as the total number of shotsfired with the firearm to determine the firearm maintenance periods andthe remaining useful life that the firearm itself and each of theassembled elements that form the firearm have left.

Still another object of the embodiment is to perform the aforesaidfunctions with minimum energy consumption to lengthen the life of anelectric power source that supplies electric power to the electronicshot counting device.

The electronic shot counting device is adapted to distinguish impulsesassociated with a shot fired by the firearm from other types of impulsesresulting from an improper use of the firearm; this type of analysis iscompleted in a minimum of time and with reduced electric powerconsumption.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A more detailed explanation of the invention is provided in thefollowing description and is based on the accompanying figures:

FIG. 1 shows, on a tension-time coordinate axis, a signal generated byan impulse sensor at one of its outputs corresponding to a shot fired byan automatic or semiautomatic firearm, and

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of the electronic counting device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

In relation to FIG. 2, an electronic shot counting device 11 comprisesan impulse sensor 12 of the piezoelectric, accelerometer, etc. type;electrically connected to a signal processor 13 of the microprocessortype 13, which in turn is electrically connected to removable datastorage unit 14 of the data memory type.

The electronic counter 11 is mounted inside an automatic orsemiautomatic firearm, such that the impulse sensor 12 is located in aplace near the gun firing chain to directly receive the impulse peaksoriginating in the gun when a shot is fired with it.

In relation now to FIGS. 1 and 2, when a shot is fired with the firearm,the impulse sensor 12 of the electronic counting device 11 supplies atone of its outputs a train of impulse peaks or an impulse signalrelative to a shot fired by the firearm. The impulse signal is receivedat an input of the signal microprocessor 13.

It should be noted that, in the storage memory, a multitude of standardimpulse signals are stored, respectively associated with each kind ofcartridge that may be fired with the firearm.

Since the storage memory is removable, the standard impulse signals areloaded into it by inserting the removable memory into a USB connectorof, for example, a portable computer type client device. Once thestandard impulse signals have been stored in the memory, this isinserted into the appropriate connector of the firearm electroniccounter 11.

Therefore, before a shot is fired by a shooter, the shooter has toindicate what kind of cartridge will be fired from among those stored inthe memory.

The type of cartridge loaded in the gun that is to be fired is selectedvia a wireless interface unit that communicates with a data input-outputunit 15 of the electronic counter 11, which is connected to the signalmicroprocessor 13.

Once the kind of cartridge to be fired is selected, the microprocessor13 preloads data associated with the standard impulse signal of theselected cartridge.

The standard impulse signal includes a train of impulse peaks thatcomprises at least two successive impulse peaks with characteristicparameters associated with each of the impulse peaks of the impulsesignal.

An impulse peak relative to the shot itself, the next impulse peakrelative to a sliding movement in the direction of a sliding element ofthe firearm associated with the displacement of a fired cartridge case,e.g., a slide, a cylinder, etc., and finally a subsequent impulse peakrelative to the insertion of a cartridge ready to be fired in thefirearm chamber. It should be noted that, if there is no cartridge inthe magazine, this latter peak is not observed.

Therefore, each type of impulse peak presents an upward and downwardgradient, a maximum peak value, distance between successive peaks, etc.,which are parameters that characterize the impulse signal as a whole.

Consequently, in accordance with the characteristic parameters derivedfrom the standard impulse signal preloaded in the microprocessor 13,this microprocessor determines at what instants of time it shouldacquire samples in the upward and downward gradient of a first impulsepeak received at the input of the microprocessor 13, which may beassociated with an impulse signal relative to a shot fired with thefirearm.

Once the samples are acquired, the microprocessor 13 analyses whetherthe tension values of the acquired samples are greater than apredetermined tension value threshold; if the comparison is affirmative,i.e., the tension values are greater than the threshold value, then themicroprocessor 13 gets ready to receive a subsequent impulse peak.

In short, in the steps described above, the microprocessor 13 hascalculated that in a predetermined impulse peak time, i.e., peak area,the samples acquired from the received impulse peak are greater than thethreshold tension value corresponding to an impulse peak associated witha stored standard impulse signal, where the threshold value is greaterthan the maximum value of the next impulse peak of the standard impulsesignal.

If the area previously calculated by the microprocessor 13 is less thanthe area derived from the stored standard impulse signal, then themicroprocessor 13 determines that the received impulse peak does notcorrespond to an impulse peak associated with an impulse signal relativeto a fired shot. As a result, the signal microprocessor 13 switches to astate of minimum energy consumption or sleep mode.

However, if the area previously calculated by the microprocessor 13 isgreater than or equal to the area derived from the stored standardimpulse signal, it gets ready to acquire a predetermined number ofsamples in an off-peak zone subsequent to the received impulse peak.

Likewise, based on the standard impulse signal preloaded in the signalmicroprocessor 13, the microprocessor determines the instants of time atwhich it has to acquire the predetermined number of samples of anoff-peak period between successive impulse peaks and associated with animpulse signal relative to a shot.

Once the samples are acquired, the microprocessor 13 analyses whetherthe tension values of the acquired samples are less than a predeterminedtension value threshold; if the comparison is affirmative, i.e., thetension values are less than or equal to the threshold value, then themicroprocessor 13 gets ready to acquire a predetermined number ofsamples relative to an impulse peak separate from the first impulse peakreceived, which is prior to the aforesaid off-peak zone.

However, if the samples previously acquired by the microprocessor 13 aregreater than the threshold of the off-peak zone derived from the storedstandard impulse signal, then the microprocessor 13 determines that anoff-peak zone has not been received between impulse peaks associatedwith an impulse signal relative to a fired shot; as a result of theabove, the signal microprocessor 13 switches to a state of minimumenergy consumption or sleep mode.

Therefore, based on the characteristic parameters derived from thestandard impulse signal preloaded in the microprocessor 13, itdetermines at what instants of time it should acquire samples in animpulse peak subsequent to the off-peak zone which has followed theimpulse peak received at the input of the microprocessor 13.

Similarly, once the samples are acquired, the microprocessor 13 analyseswhether the tension values of the acquired samples are greater than apredetermined tension value threshold; if the comparison is affirmative,i.e., the tension values are greater than the threshold value, then themicroprocessor 13 gets ready to receive a subsequent impulse signaloff-peak zone.

Based on the standard impulse signal preloaded in the signalmicroprocessor 13, the latter determines the instants of time at whichit has to acquire a predetermined number of samples relative to anoff-peak subsequent to a second impulse peak received at the input ofthe microprocessor 13.

Once the samples are acquired, the microprocessor 13 analyses whetherthe tension values of the acquired samples are less than a predeterminedtension value threshold; if the comparison is affirmative, i.e., thetension values are less than or equal to the threshold value, then themicroprocessor 13 gets ready to acquire a predetermined number ofsamples relative to an impulse peak separate from the second impulsepeak received, which is prior to the aforesaid off-peak zone.

However, if the area previously calculated by the microprocessor 13 isless than the area of the off-peak zone derived from the stored standardimpulse signal, then the microprocessor 13 determines that an off-peakzone has not been received between impulse peaks associated with animpulse signal relative to a shot fired; as a result of the above, thesignal microprocessor 13 switches to a state of minimum energyconsumption or sleep mode.

Therefore, based on the characteristic parameters derived from thestandard impulse signal preloaded in the microprocessor 13, itdetermines at what instants of time it should acquire samples in animpulse peak subsequent to the off-peak zone which has followed the lastimpulse peak received at the input of the microprocessor 13.

Similarly, once the samples are acquired, the microprocessor 13 analyseswhether the tension values of the acquired samples are greater than apredetermined tension value threshold; if the comparison is affirmative,i.e., the tension values are greater than the threshold value, then themicroprocessor 13 enters a shot in the count that it keeps in thestorage memory.

It should be noted that the microprocessor 13 increases by one unit thecount of the number of shots fired by the firearm, even though themicroprocessor 13 does not receive the impulse peak relative to theinsertion of a cartridge ready to be fired in the firearm chamber,whenever the microprocessor 13 has checked that two impulse peaks havebeen received separated by an off-peak zone and a second off-peak zonesubsequent to the impulse peak relative to the sliding movement of thefirearm slide.

The microprocessor 13 generates at one of its outputs a warning signalrelative to an empty cartridge storage unit; this signal is sent to ainformation data display, which shows to the shooter the number of shotsfired with the cartridge storage unit 14 currently mounted on thefirearm, the total number of shots fired with the firearm, the warningsignal of an empty cartridge storage unit 14, etc.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. An electronic counting device of shots fired by afirearm characterized in that the electronic counting device (11)comprises an impulse sensor (12); a signal processor (13) electricallyconnected to the impulse sensor (12); and a data storage unit (14)electrically connected to the signal processor (13).
 12. The device ofclaim 11 characterized in that the electronic counting device (11) isadapted to be mounted on a body of the firearm and wherein the impulsesensor (12) is located near a gun firing chain of the firearm to supplyimpulse peaks at one of its output terminals.
 13. The device of claim 11characterized in that the data storage unit (14) is adapted to storeimpulse peaks associated with standard impulse signals relative to shotsfired by the firearm with different kinds of cartridges.
 14. The deviceof claim 13 characterized in that the data storage unit (14) is aremovable memory type.
 15. The device of claim 13 characterized in thatthe device further comprises a wireless interface unit; and a datainput-output unit (15); and further characterized in that the wirelessinterface unit communicates with the data input-output unit (15) whichis connected to the signal microprocessor (13) of the electroniccounting device (11) to select the kind of cartridge loaded in thefirearm.
 16. A method to count shots fired with a firearm, comprising:selecting a kind of cartridge stored in a data storage unit (14);acquiring a multitude of samples at predetermined instants of time in animpulse peak received at an input terminal of a signal processor (13)based on characteristic parameters derived from a standard impulsesignal associated with the kind of cartridge selected, comparing thetension value of the acquired samples with a predetermined tension valuethreshold based on an impulse peak relative to the shot itself includedin the selected standard impulse signal; if the acquired samples aregreater than or equal to the predetermined tension threshold and aremaintained during a time interval determined by the standard impulsesignal, and acquiring a predetermined number of samples in an off-peakzone subsequent to the impulse peak received.
 17. The method of claim 16further comprising: comparing the tension value of the acquired sampleswith a predetermined tension value threshold based on an off-peak zonesubsequent to the impulse peak relative to the shot itself included inthe selected standard impulse signal; if the acquired samples are lessthan or equal to the predetermined tension threshold and are maintainedduring a time interval determined by the standard impulse signal, andacquiring a predetermined number of samples in an impulse peak relativeto a sliding movement in the direction of a sliding element of thefirearm associated with the displacement of the case of a firedcartridge.
 18. The method of claim 17 further comprising: comparing thetension value of the acquired samples with a predetermined tension valuethreshold based on an impulse peak relative to a sliding movementincluded in the selected standard impulse signal; if the acquiredsamples are greater than or equal to the predetermined tension thresholdand are maintained during a time interval determined by the standardimpulse signal, and increasing by one unit in the shot count made by theelectronic counting device (11).
 19. The method of claim 18 furthercomprising: transmitting the shot count to a display device mounted onthe firearm.
 20. A firearm that stores cartridges for firing thecartridges characterized in that the firearm comprises an electronicshot counting device (11) of claim 11.